Applicants opting for this scheme should fulfill following eligibility criteria

Nationality/ Age: Indian with age not more than 26 years as on 1st Sept. of the year of admission to M.Tech. Relaxation in age by 5 years for SC/ST and by 3 years for OBC applicants is admissible.

Qualifications: Applicant should first secure admission (on their own) at the Institute (in Jun-Aug 20XX for the batch DGFS-20XX) under the relevant M.Tech Programme with required Pre-M.Tech Degree/Discipline (BE/B.Tech/M.Sc).

When and how to submit a proposal

An advertisement for the Scheme appears in Newspaper during Nov/Dec every year. Applicant can apply using the associated ‘Application Form’ either by mailing application by post (by April 15) or through website www.hrdbarc.gov.in (by April 20). Final Selection will be by an interview (during June/July) of short-listed applicants. more..

A monthly stipend of Rs.35000/- and a onetime educational material allowance and Rs.5000/- will be paid to the selected DGFS Fellow through the Institute. In addition, their tuition fees will be reimbursed by the DAE to the Institute directly. All other statutory deposits, hostel fee, mess dues etc. will be payable by the selected applicants directly to the Institute. Selected applicants will be entitled to medical facilities as admissible to all other students at the Institute Campus.

Mechanism of implementation and monitoring

1. DGFS fellow requires completing the M.Tech Course in 2 years. Elective/Audit courses and project work will be decided jointly by the DAE and the Institute Project Guides. On joining the scheme, selected DGFS Fellows will sign an agreement and a bond to serve DAE for a period of 3 years starting from date of joining in DAE as Scientific Officer-C. In case of non-compliance he/she will have to refund the stipend, fees, book allowances etc paid by DAE.

2. The DGFS Fellows will be absorbed in the grade of Scientific Officer-C in the DAE Units on successful completion of the course. If a DGFS Fellow withdraws from the scheme before the completion of the M.Tech program, he/she will have to refund, as per the terms and conditions of the Agreement & Bond, stipend, fees, book allowances etc paid by DAE. If such a DGFS fellow decides to continue M.Tech, the Institute will not pay him/her any stipend. less

The fellows for admission to DGFS (Ph.D.) will be selected by HBNI based on an all-India level selection procedure. Entry-level qualification will be M.Sc. or equivalent in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics or related subjects or B.Tech. or equivalent in an engineering discipline of interest to DAE.

Areas of research support

To carry forward this scheme at the constituent institutions, a list of broad areas of interest to the programmes of DAE, which could be pursued for research leading to Ph.D. by students, will be prepared with the approval of Chairman AEC. The R&D centres and grant-in-aid institutions will prepare topics for research in the identified areas.

Components of grant

The fellowship amount offered will be Rs. 35,000/- during the first year and Rs. 40,000/- during the subsequent three years. The students will also get a contingency grant of Rs.32000/- per year and the amount not spent can be carried over. The contingency grant can be used for travel to participate in symposia and for buying educational material such as books, CDs, software etc. Any travel related to the project work has to be funded from the budget of the constituent institution, since the student will work on a project of interest to the institution.

Mechanism of implementation and monitoring

The selected candidates will pursue Ph.D. programme in one of the Constituent Institutions of HBNI. All fellows will be registered for Ph.D. with the HBNI and seconded to a research center or a grant-in-aid institution as per convenience.The topic of research will be of direct interest to the programmes of DAE. The students will be assigned two advisors, one having strength in basic research and the other in technology development, preferably across institutions.

Option of quitting DGFS PhD

The students will have the option to quit DGFS during the first 4 months. If anyone quits after 4 months and before the completion of two years, he/she will have to refund half the fellowship amount received by him/her. (It is felt that anyone who has spent two years would have done sufficient research work and would not like to quit. Limiting the period to two years would make the bond amount manageable).